Method of manufacturing semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of a maintenance process. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: (a) transferring a substrate from a storage container storing one or more substrates including the substrate to a process chamber, and performing a substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of the process chamber; and (c) continuously performing the substrate processing after the maintenance reservation information is received in (b) until the substrate processing in the process chamber related to the maintenance reservation information is completed, and setting the process chamber to a maintenance enable state after the substrate processing is completed by stopping the one or more substrates from being transferred into the process chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This non-provisional U.S. patent application is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/572,690 filed on Sep. 17, 2019 and claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Japanese Patent Application No.2019-135109 filed on Jul. 23, 2019, in the Japanese Patent Office, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device.

2. Description of the Related Art

In manufacturing processes of a semiconductor device, in order toimprove the efficiency of a substrate treatment process (also referredto as a “substrate processing”), a plurality of substrates may behandled as one unit (that is, a “lot”). According to related arts, withrespect to a substrate processing apparatus configured to perform thesubstrate processing, a technique capable of performing a maintenanceprocess of a process space (also referred to as a “process chamber”) ofthe substrate processing apparatus such that the substrate processing isperformed without deteriorating the throughput is disclosed.

When the plurality of the substrates is handled as one lot, theprocessing quality of each of the plurality of the substrates may beaffected depending on a timing of the maintenance process (also referredto as “maintenance timing”). For example, when the maintenance processis interposed in the middle of the substrate processing of a certainlot, the processing conditions may be changed before and after themaintenance process, and the processing quality may vary in the samelot. In addition, for example, when an execution of the maintenanceprocess is postponed too much, the appropriate timing of the maintenanceprocess may be missed, which may adversely affect the processing qualityof the plurality of the substrates in the lot. Further, for example,when the timing of performing the maintenance process is decided by apersonnel such as a maintenance operator, the burden on the maintenanceoperator may become excessive, and there is no guarantee that themaintenance timing can be appropriately decided.

SUMMARY

Described herein is a technique capable of optimizing a timing of amaintenance process.

According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure,there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor deviceincluding: (a) transferring a substrate from a storage container storingone or more substrates including the substrate to a process chamber, andperforming a substrate processing; (b) receiving maintenance reservationinformation of the process chamber; (c) continuously performing thesubstrate processing after the maintenance reservation information isreceived in (b) until the substrate processing in the process chamberrelated to the maintenance reservation information is completed, andsetting the process chamber to a maintenance enable state after thesubstrate processing is completed by stopping the one or more substratesfrom being transferred into the process chamber; and (d) accepting achange in a maintenance timing within a predetermined range, wherein themaintenance timing is a timing when the process chamber enters into themaintenance enable state according to the maintenance reservationinformation, wherein, in case of accepting the change to delay themaintenance timing in (d), the substrate processing of a next substratein the process chamber is started without setting the process chamber tothe maintenance enable state.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a horizontal cross-section of asubstrate processing system preferably used in one or more embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of thesubstrate processing apparatus preferably used in the embodimentsdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa controller and related components of the substrate processingapparatus preferably used in the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart schematically illustrating a substrate processingaccording to the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart schematically illustrating an exemplary sequenceof processing a plurality of substrates pursuant to a sequential order.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an exemplaryfunctional configuration of the controller of the substrate processingapparatus preferably used in the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an exemplary controlprocess of a timing of a maintenance process according to theembodiments described herein.

FIG. 8 is a table schematically illustrating control modes according tothe embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments (hereinafter, simply referred to as“embodiments”) according to the technique of the present disclosure willbe described with reference to the drawings.

In the following embodiments, a substrate processing apparatus is anexample of an apparatus used in manufacturing processes of asemiconductor device. That is, the substrate processing apparatus isconfigured to perform a predetermined processing (also referred to as a“substrate processing”) on a substrate to be processed. For example, asemiconductor wafer substrate (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a“wafer”) on which a semiconductor integrated circuit device (that is,the semiconductor device) is formed may be used as the substrate to beprocessed. In the present specification, the term “wafer” may refer to“a wafer itself” or may refer to “a wafer and a stacked structure(aggregated structure) of predetermined layers or films formed on asurface of the wafer”. That is, the term “wafer” may collectively referto “the wafer and the layers or the films formed on the surface of thewafer. In addition, the term “surface of wafer” may refer to “a surface(exposed surface) of a wafer itself” or may refer to “a surface of apredetermined layer or film formed on the wafer, i.e. a top surface(uppermost surface) of the wafer as a stacked structure”. In the presentspecification, the terms “substrate” and “wafer” may be used assubstantially the same meaning. For example, as the substrateprocessing, a process such as an oxidation process, a diffusion process,a reflow process or an annealing process for planarizing or activatingthe carrier after the ion implantation, or a film-forming process may beperformed. Specifically, the embodiments will be described by way of anexample in which the film-forming process is performed as the substrateprocessing.

(1) Configuration of Substrate Processing System

First, an exemplary configuration of the entire system including asubstrate processing apparatus according to the embodiments will bedescribed. In the present specification, the entire system including thesubstrate processing apparatus is also simply referred to as a“substrate processing system”. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates thesubstrate processing system according to the embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate processing system 2000 to which theembodiments are applied is configured to process a plurality of wafers(or one or more wafers) including a wafer 200 serving as a substrate.The substrate processing system 2000 is a so-called cluster typeapparatus having a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses. Morespecifically, the cluster type substrate processing system 2000includes, for example, an I/O stage 2100, an atmospheric transferchamber 2200, a load lock (L/L) chamber 2300, a vacuum transfer chamber2400 and a plurality of substrate processing apparatuses (for example,substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d).Hereinafter, the embodiments will be an example in which the substrateprocessing system 2000 includes the substrate processing apparatuses 100a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d. However, the embodiments are not limitedthereto. For example, the number of the plurality of the substrateprocessing apparatuses may be 5 or more or 3 or less. In the followingdescription, front, rear, left and right directions are indicated by anarrow Y₁, an arrow Y₂, an arrow X₂ and an arrow X₁ shown in FIG. 1,respectively.

The I/O stage (also referred to as a “loading port shelf”) 2100 isprovided (installed) at a front side of the substrate processing system2000. A plurality of storage containers including a storage container2001 may be placed on the I/O stage 2100. The storage container 2001 isalso referred to as a FOUP (Front Open Unified Pod) or as a pod.Hereinafter, the storage container 2001 is simply referred to as the pod2001. The pod 2011 is used as a carrier configured to transfer theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200. The plurality of thewafers including the wafer 200, whether processed or unprocessed, ishorizontally accommodated in multiple stages in the pod 2001.

The I/O stage 2100 is provided adjacent to the atmospheric transferchamber 2200. An atmospheric transfer robot 2220 configured to transferthe plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 is provided in theatmospheric transfer chamber 120. The atmospheric transfer robot 2220serves as a first transfer robot. The load lock chamber 2300 isconnected to a side of the atmospheric transfer chamber 2200 other thana side to which the I/O stage 2100 is provided.

Since an inner pressure of the load lock chamber 2300 is adjusted to beequal to an inner pressure of the atmospheric transfer chamber 2200 oran inner pressure of the vacuum transfer chamber 2400 described later, astructure of the load lock chamber 2300 is capable of withstanding anegative pressure. The vacuum transfer chamber (also referred to as a“transfer module” or simply referred to as a “TM”) 2400 is connected toa side of the load lock chamber 2300 other than a side to which theatmospheric transfer chamber 2200 is provided.

The TM 2400 serves as a transfer chamber constituting a transfer spacein which the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 istransferred under the negative pressure. A housing 2410 constituting theTM 2400 is pentagonal when viewed from above. The load lock chamber 2300and the plurality of the substrate processing apparatuses (that is, forexample, the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and100 d) where the plurality of the wafers is processed are connected toeach side of the pentagonal housing 2410. A vacuum transfer robot 2700configured to transfer the plurality of the wafers under the negativepressure is provided at approximately a center of the PM 2400. Thevacuum transfer robot 2700 serves as a second transfer robot. In theembodiments, a shape of the vacuum transfer chamber 2400 is exemplifiedas pentagonal. However, the shape of the vacuum transfer chamber 2400 isnot limited thereto. For example, the shape of the vacuum transferchamber 2400 may be polygonal such as quadrilateral and hexagonal.

The vacuum transfer robot 2700 provided in the TM 2400 includes two arms2800 and 2900 that can be independently operated. The vacuum transferrobot 2700 is controlled by a controller 260 described later.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of gate valves (GVs) (for example, gatevalves 1490 a, 1490 b, 1490 c and 1490 d) is provided to correspond tothe plurality of the substrate processing apparatuses (that is, thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d).Specifically, a gate valve 1490 a is provided at the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 a between the substrate processing apparatus100 a and the TM 2400, the gate valve 1490 b is provided at thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 b between the substrate processingapparatus 100 b and the TM 2400, the gate valve 1490 c is provided atthe substrate processing apparatus 100 c between the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 c and the TM 2400, and the gate valve 1490 d isprovided at the substrate processing apparatus 100 d between thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 d and the TM 2400. Each of thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d isprovided with a substrate loading/unloading port 1480. Byopening/closing the substrate loading/unloading port 1480 of thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d by eachof the gate valves 1490 a, 1490 b, 1490 c and 1490 d, respectively, thewafer 200 can be transferred between the vacuum transfer chamber 2400and each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and100 d by the vacuum transport robot 2700 in the TM 2400 via thesubstrate loading/unloading port 1480 of the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d, respectively. Since theconfiguration of the gate valves 1490 a, 1490 b, 1490 c and 1490 d arethe same, in the following description, the gate valves 1490 a, 1490 b,1490 c and 1490 d may be collectively or individually referred to as agate valve 1490.

(2) Configuration of Substrate Processing Apparatus

Hereinafter, the substrate processing apparatus 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and100 d used in the substrate processing system 2000 described above willbe described. Since the configuration of the substrate processingapparatus 100 a through the substrate processing apparatus 100 d are thesame, in the following description, the substrate processing apparatus100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d may be collectively or individuallyreferred to as a substrate processing apparatus 100.

The substrate processing apparatus 100 is used when performing afilm-forming process (also referred to as the “substrate processing”) asa part of the manufacturing processes of the semiconductor device. Forexample, the substrate processing apparatus 100 is configured as asingle-wafer type substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 2 schematicallyillustrates a vertical cross-section of the substrate processingapparatus 100 preferably used in the embodiments described herein.

<Process Vessel>

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes aprocess vessel 202. For example, the process vessel 202 is a flat andsealed vessel with a circular horizontal cross-section. The processvessel 202 is made of a metal material such as aluminum (Al) andstainless steel (SUS) or quartz. The process vessel 202 is constitutedby an upper vessel 202 a and a lower vessel 202 b. A partition part(also referred to as a “partition plate”) 204 is provided between theupper vessel 202 a and the lower vessel 202 b. A space surrounded by theupper vessel 202 a and above the partition part 204 is referred to as aprocess space (also referred to as a “process chamber”) 201. The wafer200 to be processed by the film-forming process is processed in theprocess space 201. A space surrounded by the lower vessel 202 b andbelow the partition part 204 is referred to as a transfer space (alsoreferred to as a “transfer chamber”) 203 through which the wafer 200 istransferred. The substrate loading/unloading port 1480 is provided on aside surface of the lower vessel 202 b adjacent to the gate valve 1490so that the space surrounded by the lower vessel 202 b functions as thetransfer chamber 203. The wafer 200 is moved (transferred) between theTM 2400 and the transfer chamber 203 through the substrateloading/unloading port 1480. Lift pins 207 are provided at a bottom ofthe lower vessel 202 b. The lower vessel 202 b is electrically grounded.

<Substrate Support>

A substrate support (also referred to as a “susceptor”) 210 capable ofsupporting the wafer 200 is provided in the process chamber 201. Thesusceptor 210 includes a substrate support table 212 having a substrateplacing surface 211 on which the wafer 200 is placed. The substratesupport table 212 is at least provided with heaters 213 a and 213 bcapable of adjusting (that is, heating or cooling) a temperature of thewafer 200 placed on the substrate placing surface 211. The heaters 213 aand 213 b are embedded in the substrate support table 212. The heaters213 a and 213 b are individually connected to temperature controllers(also referred to as temperature adjusting devices) 213 c and 213 dcapable of adjusting the power supplied to the heaters 213 a and 213 b,respectively. Each of the temperature controllers 213 c and 213 d isindependently controlled in accordance with an instruction from thecontroller 260 which will be described later. As a result, thetemperature controllers 213 c and 213 d are configured to control thetemperature of the wafer 200 on the substrate placing surface 211 foreach of regions of the wafer 200 by controlling the heaters 213 a and213 b (that is, it is possible to perform a “zone control” of the wafer200). Through-holes 214 penetrated by the lift pins 207 are provided atthe substrate support table 212 corresponding to the locations of thelift pins 207.

The substrate support table 212 is supported by a shaft 217. The shaft217 penetrates a bottom of the process vessel 202. The shaft 217 isconnected to an elevating mechanism 218 outside the process vessel 202.The substrate support table 212 may be elevated or lowered by operatingthe elevating mechanism 218 by elevating or lowering the shaft 217 andthe substrate support table 212. A bellows 219 covers a lower endportion of the shaft 217 to maintain the process chamber 201 airtight.

When the wafer 200 is transferred, the substrate support table 212 islowered until the substrate placing surface 211 of the substrate supporttable 212 is at a position (height) of the substrate loading/unloadingport 1480 (hereinafter referred to as “wafer transfer position”). Whenthe wafer 200 is processed, the substrate support table 212 is elevateduntil the wafer 200 reaches a processing position in the process chamber201 (hereinafter referred to as “wafer processing position”).Specifically, when the substrate support table 212 is lowered to thewafer transfer position, the upper ends of the lift pins 207 protrudefrom an upper surface of the substrate placing surface 211, and the liftpins 207 supports the wafer 200 from thereunder. When the substratesupport table 212 is elevated to the wafer processing position, the liftpins 207 are retracted from the upper surface of the substrate placingsurface 211 and the substrate placing surface 211 supports the wafer 200from thereunder. The lift pins 207 may be made of a material such asquartz and alumina since the lift pins 207 are in direct contact withthe wafer 200.

<Gas Introduction Port>

A gas introduction port 241 configured to supply various gases into theprocess chamber 201 is provided (installed) at an upper portion of theprocess chamber 201. A gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a “gassupply system”) connected to the gas introduction port 241 will bedescribed later in detail.

A shower head (also referred to as a “buffer chamber”) 234, whichincludes a dispersion plate 234 b configured to evenly disperse a gassupplied through the gas introduction port 241 into the process chamber201, may be provided in the process chamber 201 that is spatially incommunication with the gas introduction port 241.

A matching mechanism 251 and a high frequency power supply 252 areconnected to a support portion (also referred to as a “support member”)231 b of the dispersion plate 234 b and are configured to supply anelectromagnetic wave (high frequency power or microwave). The gassupplied into the process chamber 201 through the dispersion plate 234 bmay be excited (activated) into a plasma state by the electromagneticwave. That is, the dispersion plate 234 b, the support part 231 b, thematching mechanism 251 and the high frequency power supply 252 are usedto excite a first process gas and a second process gas described laterinto the plasma state, and serve as a part of a first gas supplymechanism 243 configured to supply the first process gas in the plasmastate (which will be described in detail later) and a part of a secondgas supply mechanism 244 configured to supply the second process gas inthe plasma state (which will be described in detail later).

<Gas Supply Mechanism>

A common gas supply pipe 242 is connected to the gas introduction port241. A first gas supply pipe 243 a, a second gas supply pipe 244 a and athird gas supply pipe 245 a are connected to the common gas supply pipe242. The first process gas, which will be described later in detail, issupplied by the first gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a “firstgas supply system”) 243 which includes the first gas supply pipe 243 a.The second process gas, which will be described later in detail, issupplied by the second gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a“second gas supply system”) 244 which includes the second gas supplypipe 244 a. A purge gas, which will be described later in detail, issupplied by a third gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a “thirdgas supply system”) 245 which includes the third gas supply pipe 245 a.

<First Gas Supply Mechanism>

A first gas supply source 243 b, a mass flow controller (MFC) 243 cserving as a flow rate controller (flow rate control mechanism) and avalve 243 d serving as an opening/closing valve are installed at thefirst gas supply pipe 243 a in order from an upstream side to adownstream side of the first gas supply pipe 243 a. A gas containing afirst element (that is, the first process gas) from the first gas supplysource 243 b is supplied into the process chamber 201 via the first gassupply pipe 243 a provided with the MFC 243 c and the valve 243 d andthe common gas supply pipe 242.

For example, a gas containing silicon (Si) element (also referred to asa “silicon-containing gas”) may be used as the first process gas.Specifically, a gas such as dichlorosilane (SiH₂Cl₂, abbreviated as DCS)gas and tetraethoxysilane (Si(OC₂H₅)₄, abbreviated as TEOS) gas may beused as the first process gas. In the following description, theembodiments will be described by way of an example in which the DCS gasis used as the first process gas.

A downstream end of a first inert gas supply pipe 246 a is connected tothe first gas supply pipe 243 a at a downstream side of the valve 243 dof the first gas supply pipe 243 a. An inert gas supply source 246 b, amass flow controller (MFC) 246 c and a valve 246 d are installed at thefirst inert gas supply pipe 246 a in order from an upstream side to adownstream side of the first inert gas supply pipe 246 a. An inert gasfrom the inert gas supply source 246 b is supplied to the first gassupply pipe 243 a via the first inert gas supply pipe 246 a providedwith MFC 246 c and the valve 246 d. For example, nitrogen (N₂) gas maybe used as the inert gas. Instead of the N₂ gas, a rare gas such asargon (Ar) gas, helium (He) gas, neon (Ne) gas and xenon (Xe) gas may beused as the inert gas.

The first gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a“silicon-containing gas supply mechanism”) 243, which is one of processgas supply mechanisms, is constituted mainly by the first gas supplypipe 243 a, the MFC 243 c and the valve 243 d. The first gas supplymechanism 243 may further include the first gas supply source 243 b. Afirst inert gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a “first inert gassupply system”) is constituted mainly by the first inert gas supply pipe246 a, the MFC 246 c and the valve 246 d. The first inert gas supplymechanism may further include the inert gas supply source 246 b and thefirst gas supply pipe 243 a. In addition, the first gas supply mechanism243 may further include the first inert gas supply mechanism.

<Second Gas Supply Mechanism>

A second gas supply source 244 b, a mass flow controller (MFC) 244 c anda valve 244 d are installed at the second gas supply pipe 244 a in orderfrom an upstream side to a downstream side of the second gas supply pipe244 a. A gas containing a second element (that is, the second processgas) from the second gas supply source 244 b is supplied into theprocess chamber 201 via the second gas supply pipe 244 a provided withthe MFC 244 c and the valve 244 d and the common gas supply pipe 242.

The second process gas contains the second element (for example,nitrogen(N)) different from the first element (for example, silicon)contained in the first process gas. For example, a nitrogen-containinggas may be used as the second process gas. For example, ammonia (NH₃)gas may be used as the nitrogen-containing gas.

A downstream end of a second inert gas supply pipe 247 a is connected tothe second gas supply pipe 244 a at a downstream side of the valve 244 dof the second gas supply pipe 244 a. An inert gas supply source 247 b, amass flow controller (MFC) 247 c and a valve 247 d are installed at thesecond inert gas supply pipe 247 a in order from an upstream side to adownstream side of the second inert gas supply pipe 247 a. An inert gasfrom the inert gas supply source 247 b is supplied to the second gassupply pipe 244 a via the second inert gas supply pipe 247 a providedwith the MFC 247 c and the valve 247 d. The inert gas supplied throughthe second inert gas supply pipe 247 a may be the same as the inert gasof the first inert gas supply mechanism.

The second gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a“nitrogen-containing gas supply mechanism”), which is other one of theprocess gas supply mechanisms, is constituted mainly by the second gassupply pipe 244 a, the MFC 244 c and the valve 244 d. The second gassupply mechanism 244 may further include the second gas supply source244 b. A second inert gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a“second inert gas supply system”) is constituted mainly by the secondinert gas supply pipe 247 a, the MFC 247 c and the valve 247 d. Thesecond inert gas supply mechanism may further include the inert gassupply source 247 b and the second gas supply pipe 244 a. In addition,the second gas supply mechanism 244 may further include the second inertgas supply mechanism.

<Third Gas Supply Mechanism>

A third gas supply source 245 b, a mass flow controller (MFC) 245 c anda valve 245 d are installed at the third gas supply pipe 245 a in orderfrom an upstream side to a downstream side of the third gas supply pipe245 a. An inert gas serving as the purge gas from the third gas supplysource 245 b is supplied into the process chamber 201 via the third gassupply pipe 245 a provided with the MFC 245 c and the valve 245 d andthe common gas supply pipe 242.

For example, the nitrogen (N₂) gas may be used as the inert gas suppliedthrough the third gas supply pipe 245 a. Instead of the N₂ gas, the raregas such as argon (Ar) gas, helium (He) gas, neon (Ne) gas and xenon(Xe) gas may be used as the inert gas.

The third gas supply mechanism (also referred to as a “purge gas supplymechanism”) 245 is constituted mainly by the third gas supply pipe 245a, the MFC 245 c and the valve 245 d. The third gas supply mechanism 245may further include the third gas supply source 245 b.

<Exhaust Mechanism>

An exhaust port 221 configured to exhaust an inner atmosphere of theprocess chamber 201 is provided on a surface of an inner wall of theprocess chamber 201 (the upper vessel 202 a). An exhaust pipe 224serving as a first exhaust pipe is connected to the exhaust port 221.Serially connected to the exhaust pipe 224 are: a pressure controller(also referred to as a “pressure regulator”) 227 such as an APC(Automatic Pressure Controller) configured to control (adjust) an innerpressure of the process chamber 201; an exhaust control valve 228serving as a exhaust control part (also referred to as an “exhaustcontrol mechanism”) and provided at a preceding stage or a subsequentstage of the pressure controller 227; and a vacuum pump 223.

The pressure controller 227 and the exhaust control valve 228 areconfigured to control (adjust) the inner pressure of the process chamber201 in accordance with an instruction from the controller 260 describedlater when performing the substrate processing described later. Morespecifically, the pressure controller 227 and the exhaust control valve228 are configured to control (adjust) the inner pressure of the processchamber 201 by varying opening degrees of the pressure controller 227and the exhaust control valve 228 in accordance with a process recipecontaining information on the sequences and the conditions of thesubstrate processing described later.

A pressure sensor 229 serving as a pressure measuring device configuredto measure an inner pressure of the exhaust pipe 224 is provided at afront stage of the pressure controller 227 (that is, a location closerto the process chamber 201). In addition, the pressure sensor 229 may beconfigured to measure the inner pressure of the process chamber 201instead of measuring the inner pressure of the exhaust pipe 224. Thatis, the pressure sensor 229 may measure the inner pressure of theprocess chamber 20 or the inner pressure of the exhaust pipe 224constituting an exhaust mechanism.

The exhaust mechanism (also referred to as an “exhaust system” or an“exhaust line”) is constituted mainly by the exhaust port 221, theexhaust pipe 224, the pressure controller 227 and the exhaust controlvalve 228. The exhaust mechanism may further include the vacuum pump 223and the pressure sensor 229.

(3) Configuration of Controller of Substrate Processing Apparatus

Subsequently, the controller 260 which is a part of the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 according to the embodiments will be described.FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofthe controller 260 and related components of the substrate processingapparatus 100 preferably used in the embodiments described herein.

<Hardware Configuration of Controller>

The controller 260 functions as a control device (control mechanism)configured to control the operations of the components of the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 and the operations of the components such asthe vacuum transfer robot 2700 of the substrate processing system 2000.As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 260 is constituted by a computerincluding a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 260 a, a RAM (Random AccessMemory) 260 b, a memory device 260 c and an I/O port 260 d. The RAM 260b, the memory device 260 c and the I/O port 260 d may exchange data withthe CPU 260 a through an internal bus 260 e.

For example, the memory device 260 c is configured by components such asa flash memory and HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Readably stored in the memorydevice 260 c are: a control program for controlling the operation of thesubstrate processing apparatus 100; a process recipe containinginformation on the sequences and conditions of the substrate processingdescribed later; and/or data such as calculation data and processingdata generated during performing various processes. The process recipeis obtained by combining steps of the substrate processing describedlater such that the controller 260 can execute the steps to acquire apredetermine result, and functions as a program.

The RAM 260 b functions as a memory area (work area) where a program orthe data such as the calculation data and the processing data read bythe CPU 260 a is temporarily stored.

The I/O port 260 d is connected to the components such as the gate valve1490, the elevating mechanism 218, the pressure controller 227, theexhaust control valve 228, the vacuum pump 223, the pressure sensor 229,the MFCs 243 c, 244 c, 245 c, 246 c and 247 c, the valves 243 d, 244 d,245 d, 246 d and 247 d, the temperature controllers 213 c and 213 d, thematching mechanism 251, the high frequency power supply 252, the vacuumtransfer robot 2700 and the atmospheric transfer robot 2220.

For example, an input/output device 122 such as a touch panel and anexternal memory device 262 may be connected to the controller 260. Inaddition, a host apparatus (host computer) 500 serving as a hostprocessor of the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be connected tothe controller 260 via a transmission/reception part 285 and a network263 such as the Internet and a dedicated line. In the presentspecification, “electrically connected” means that the components areconnected by physical electrical cables (signal lines) or the componentsare in communication with one another to transmit and receive signals(electronic data) to and from one another directly or indirectly.

<Program>

The control program or the process recipe stored in the memory device260 c function as a program executed by the CPU 260 a serving as anarithmetic unit. Hereinafter, the control program and the process recipeare collectively referred to as a “program”. The process recipe may besimply referred to as a recipe. In the present specification, the term“program” may indicate only the control program, may indicate only therecipe or may indicate both of the control program and the recipe.

The CPU 260 a serving as the arithmetic unit is configured to read andexecute the program stored in the memory device 260 c. The CPU 260 a isconfigured to perform (control) the operation of the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 according to the contents of the program readfrom the memory device 260 c. For example, the CPU 260 a may beconfigured to control various operations such as an opening and closingoperations of the gate valve 1490, an elevating and lowering operationof the elevating mechanism 218, a power supply operation to thetemperature controllers 213 c and 213 d, a power matching operation ofthe matching mechanism 251, an on/off control operation of the highfrequency power supply 252, operations of the MFCs 243 c, 244 c, 245 c,246 c and 247 c, on/off control operations of the various gases by thevalves 243 d, 244 d, 245 d, 246 d and 247 d, an operation of adjustingthe opening degree of the pressure controller 227, an operation ofadjusting the opening degree of the exhaust control valve 228, an on/offcontrol operation of the vacuum pump 223, a control operation of thevacuum transfer robot 2700 and a control operation of the atmospherictransfer robot 2220.

The controller 260 may be embodied by a dedicated computer or by ageneral-purpose computer. According to the embodiment, for example, thecontroller 260 may be embodied by preparing the external memory device262 storing the program and by installing the program onto thegeneral-purpose computer using the external memory device 262. Forexample, the external memory device 262 may include a magnetic tape, amagnetic disk such as a flexible disk and a hard disk, an optical disksuch as a CD and a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO and asemiconductor memory such as a USB memory and a memory card. The meansfor providing the program to the computer is not limited to the externalmemory device 262. For example, the program may be supplied to thecomputer (general-purpose computer) using communication means such asthe Internet and a dedicated line. The memory device 260 c or theexternal memory device 262 may be embodied by a non-transitory computerreadable recording medium. Hereafter, the memory device 260 c and theexternal memory device 262 are collectively referred to as the recordingmedium. In the present specification, the term “recording medium” mayrefer to only the memory device 260 c, may refer to only the externalmemory device 262 or may refer to both of the memory device 260 c andthe external memory device 262.

(4) Basic Flow of Substrate Processing

Hereinafter, as a part of manufacturing processes of a semiconductordevice, the substrate processing (film-forming process) of forming apredetermined film on the wafer 200 will be described. For example, asilicon nitride film (also referred to as a “SiN film”) serving as anitride film is formed as the predetermined film. The substrateprocessing described below are performed by the plurality of thesubstrate processing apparatuses (that is, the substrate processingapparatus 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d) of the substrate processingsystem 2000 described above. In the following descriptions, thecomponents of the substrate processing apparatus 100 (that is, thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d) arecontrolled by the controller 260.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart schematically illustrating the substrateprocessing according to the embodiments described herein.

<Substrate Loading and Heating Step: S101>

When performing the substrate processing, first, in a substrate loadingand heating step S101, the unprocessed wafer 200 is taken out of the pod2001 placed on the I/O stage 2100, and the wafer 200 is loaded(transferred) into the substrate processing apparatus 100 (that is, oneof the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d).For example, when the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100c and 100 d are provided in the substrate processing system 2000, theplurality of the wafers is loaded into each of the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d according to a predeterminedorder. The wafer 200 is taken out of the pod 2001 using the atmospherictransfer robot 2220 provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber 2200,and the wafer 200 is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 100using the vacuum transfer robot 2700 provided in the TM 2400. After thewafer 200 is loaded into the substrate processing apparatus 100, thevacuum transfer robot 2700 is retracted to the outside of the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 and the gate valve (GV) 1490 provided at thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 is closed to seal the process vessel202 of the processing apparatus 100. Thereafter, by elevating thesubstrate support table 212, the wafer 200 on the substrate placingsurface 211 is moved to the wafer processing position described above.While the wafer 200 is at the wafer processing position, the exhaustmechanism (the exhaust system) is controlled so that the inner pressureof the process chamber 201 is adjusted to and maintained at apredetermined pressure, and the heaters 213 a and 213 b are controlledso that a surface temperature of the wafer 200 reaches and is maintainedat a predetermined temperature.

<Substrate Processing Step: S102>

Subsequently, when the wafer 200 positioned (located) at the waferprocessing position reaches the predetermined temperature, a substrateprocessing step S102 is performed. In the substrate processing stepS102, the wafer 200 is in a heated state at the predeterminedtemperature while the first gas supply mechanism 243 is controlled tosupply the first gas into the process chamber 201, the exhaust mechanismis controlled to exhaust the process chamber 201, and the wafer 200 isprocessed. In the substrate processing step S102, a CVD process may beperformed by controlling the second gas supply mechanism 244 so that thesecond gas is present in the process space 201 (that is, the processchamber 201) simultaneously with the first gas, or a cyclic process maybe performed by controlling the second gas supply mechanism 244 so thatthe first gas and the second gas are alternately supplied into theprocess chamber 201. When supplying the second gas in the plasma state,the second gas may be activated into the plasma state in the processchamber 201 by supplying the high-frequency power to the dispersionplate 234 b.

The cyclic process, which is a specific example of a film processingmethod, will be described with reference to the following example. Forexample, the DCS gas may be used as the first gas and the NH₃ gas may beused as the second gas. When the DCS gas and the NH₃ gas is used, theDCS gas is supplied to the wafer 200 in a first step of the substrateprocessing step S102, and the NH₃ gas is supplied to the wafer 200 in asecond step of the substrate processing step S102. A purging step of thesubstrate processing step S102 of supplying the N₂ gas and exhaustingthe inner atmosphere of the process chamber 201 is performed between thefirst step and the second step. The silicon nitride film (SiN film) isformed on the wafer 200 by performing the cyclic process in which thefirst step, the purging step and the second step are performed aplurality of times.

<Substrate Unloading Step: S103>

After a predetermined process is performed to the wafer 200 by thesubstrate processing step S102, in a substrate unloading step S103, theprocessed wafer 200 is transferred (unloaded) out of the process vessel202 of the substrate processing apparatus 100. For example, theprocessed wafer 200 is unloaded out of the process vessel 202 using thearm 2900 of the vacuum transfer robot 2700 provided in the TM 2400.

In the substrate unloading step S103, for example, when the unprocessedwafer 200 is supported (held) by the arm 2800 of the vacuum transferrobot 2700, the unprocessed wafer 200 is loaded into the process vessel202 by the vacuum transfer robot 2700. As described later in adetermination step S104, the substrate processing step (S102) isperformed to the unprocessed wafer 200 in the process vessel 202. Whenthe unprocessed wafer 200 is not supported by the arm 2800, only theprocessed wafer 200 is unloaded in the substrate unloading step 5103.

After the processed wafer 200 is unloaded by the vacuum transfer robot2700, the processed wafer 200 is transferred to and stored in the pod2001 placed on the I/O stage 2100 by using the vacuum transfer robot2700 provided in the atmospheric transfer chamber 2200.

<Determination Step: S104>

In the substrate processing system 2000, the substrate processing stepS102 and the substrate unloading step S103 are repeatedly performeduntil no unprocessed wafer 200 remains. When there is no unprocessedwafer 200, the substrate processing, that is the steps S101 through S104is terminated.

(5) Overview of Maintenance Process

Subsequently, a maintenance process of the substrate processingapparatus 100 in the substrate processing system 2000 described abovewill be described.

In the substrate processing system 2000, the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 is handled as one unit (that is, a “lot”) whenthe substrate processing is performed by the substrate processingapparatus 100 (that is, each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d). For example, the plurality of the wafers(for example, 25 wafers) stored in the pod 2001 may be handled as onelot. Alternatively, for example, the plurality of the wafers includingthe wafer 200 stored in a predetermined number of pods including the pod2001 may be handled as one lot.

When the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 is handled asone lot, the substrate processing apparatus 100 sequentially performsthe substrate processing on each of the plurality of the wafersconstituting the lot. FIG. 5 is a flow chart schematically illustratingan exemplary sequence of processing the plurality of the substratespursuant to a sequential order. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 starts the substrate processing of anm^(th) lot from the first wafer of the m^(th) lot (m is a natural numbergreater than 2). Then, the substrate processing of each of the pluralityof the wafers constituting the m^(th) lot is sequentially repeated untilthe substrate processing of the n^(th) wafer of the m^(th) lot iscompleted (n is a natural number). When the substrate processing of allthe plurality of the wafers in the m^(th) lot is completed, thesubstrate processing is performed again in the same manner for the nextlot, that is, an (m+1)^(th) lot.

When the substrate processing is repeatedly performed on the pluralityof the wafers including the wafer 200 as described above, in thesubstrate processing apparatus 100, an unnecessary film such as reactionby-products may be deposited in the process vessel 202. Therefore, amaintenance process of cleaning the substrate processing apparatus 100may be performed at a predetermined maintenance timing. The maintenancetiming is determined based on conditions at least one among the numberof processed wafers, a thickness of an accumulated film including orexcluding the unnecessary film such as the reaction by-products and anaccumulated process time of the substrate processing.

However, when the plurality of the wafers including the wafers 200 ishandled as one lot, the processing quality of each of the plurality ofthe wafers may be affected depending on the timing of the maintenanceprocess (that is, the maintenance timing). For example, when themaintenance process is interposed in the middle of the substrateprocessing of a certain lot, the processing conditions may be changedbefore and after the maintenance process, and the processing quality ofthe plurality of the wafers may vary in the same lot. In addition, forexample, when an execution of the maintenance process is postponed toomuch in order to meet the processing conditions, the appropriate timingof the maintenance process may be missed, which may adversely affect theprocessing quality of the plurality of the wafers in the same lot.Further, for example, when the timing of performing the maintenanceprocess is decided by a personnel such as a maintenance operator, theburden on the maintenance operator may become excessive, and there is noguarantee that the maintenance timing can be appropriately decided.

Therefore, in the substrate processing system 2000 according to theembodiments, in order to optimize the timing of performing themaintenance process (that is, the maintenance timing) by the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 (that is, the substrate processing apparatuses100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d), the controller 260 has a characteristicfunctional configuration described below, and performs a characteristiccontrol process described below according to the functionalconfiguration. Hereinafter, the characteristic functional configurationand the characteristic control process will be described in detail.

(6) Characteristic Functional Configuration of Controller

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an exemplaryfunctional configuration of the controller 260 of the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 preferably used in the embodiments describedherein. As shown in FIG. 6, the controller 260 may function as aninformation reception part (also referred to as an “informationreceiver”) 260 f, a maintenance control part (also referred to as a“maintenance controller”) 260 g and an information notification part(also referred to as an “information notifier”) 260 h when the CPU 260 aexecutes a program read from the memory device 260 c.

The information reception part 260 f has a function of receivingmaintenance reservation information. The maintenance reservationinformation is reservation information of performing the maintenanceprocess of the process vessel 202 provided in the substrate processingapparatus 100 (that is, each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d), in particular, the maintenance process ofthe process chamber 201 defined by the process vessel 202. Themaintenance reservation information may be individually set for each ofthe substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d. Forexample, the maintenance reservation information is provided by the hostapparatus 500 at a predetermined maintenance timing. The host apparatus500 determines whether or not the maintenance timing has come based onthe conditions of at least one among the number of wafers processed bythe substrate processing apparatus 100 (that is, each of the substrateprocessing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d), the thickness ofthe accumulated film and the accumulated process time of the substrateprocessing. However, the maintenance reservation information is notnecessarily provided by the host apparatus 500. For example, themaintenance reservation information may be provided by the personnelsuch as the maintenance operator through the input/output device 261such as a touch panel attached to each of the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d.

The maintenance control part 260 g has a function of controlling thetiming of performing the maintenance process reserved by the maintenancereservation information when the information reception part 260 freceives the maintenance reservation information. A specific example ofa timing control of the maintenance process (that is, a control of thetiming of performing the maintenance process) will be described later indetail.

The information notification part 260 h has a function of the receivingmaintenance reservation information from the information reception part260 f and performing a notification that the maintenance process isreserved when the information reception part 260 f receives themaintenance reservation information. The notification by the informationnotification part 260 h is performed by, for example, displaying thenotification using a display of the input/output device 261 such as thetouch panel attached to the substrate processing apparatus 100 for whichthe maintenance process is reserved. However, the notification by theinformation notification part 260 h is not limited thereto. For example,the notification by the information notification part 260 h may beperformed by transmitting data (that is, data indicating thenotification) to the host apparatus 500.

(7) Characteristic Control Process of Maintenance Timing

Subsequently, specific control modes of the timing control of themaintenance process performed using the functional configuration will bedescribed above with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a tableschematically illustrating control modes according to the embodimentsdescribed herein.

<First Control Mode>

First, a first control mode will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchartschematically illustrating an exemplary control process of themaintenance timing according to the embodiments described herein.

Assume that, for example as shown in FIG. 7, the maintenance reservationinformation is issued for the substrate processing apparatus 100 (thatis, one of the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and100 d) during the substrate processing of each of the plurality of thewafers including the wafer 200 of the m^(th) lot (that is, before thesubstrate processing of the n^(th) wafer 200 in the m^(th) lot iscompleted). For example, when at least one of the conditions such as thenumber of wafers processed by the substrate processing apparatus 100(that is, each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100c and 100 d), the thickness of the accumulated film and the accumulatedprocess time of the substrate processing exceeds a predeterminedallowable value, the host apparatus 500 or the input/output device 261determines that the substrate processing apparatus 100 has reached themaintenance timing, and issues the maintenance reservation informationregardless of the status of the substrate processing by the substrateprocessing apparatus 100. When the maintenance reservation informationis issued by the host apparatus 500 or the input/output device 261, themaintenance reservation information is received by the informationreception part 260 f.

When the information reception part 260 f receives the maintenancereservation information, the maintenance control part 260 g controls thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 to continuously perform the substrateprocessing after the maintenance reservation information is receiveduntil the substrate processing performed by the substrate processingapparatus 100 is completed, more specifically, until the substrateprocessing of the n^(th) wafer 200 in the m^(th) lot being processed iscompleted. That is, the substrate processing apparatus 100 continuouslyperforms the substrate processing until the substrate processing of allof the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 constituting thelot being processed (that is, the m^(th) lot) is completed. Therefore,for example, when the plurality of the wafers including the 200 storedin the pod 2001 is handled as one lot, the substrate processingapparatus 100 continuously performs the substrate processing until thesubstrate processing of all of the plurality of the wafers stored in thepod 2001 is completed.

After the information reception part 260 f receives the maintenancereservation information, the information notification part 260 hreceives the maintenance reservation information and notifies (that is,performs the notification) that the maintenance process is reserved.Accordingly, the maintenance operator who operates the input/outputdevice 261 or a system administrator who is an operator of the hostapparatus 500 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “a personnel such asthe maintenance operator and the system administrator”) can recognizethat the maintenance process is reserved according to the maintenancereservation information.

When the substrate processing of all of the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 constituting the lot being processed iscompleted, then, the maintenance control part 260 g controls thecomponents of the substrate processing apparatus 100 to store all of theprocessed wafers including the wafer 200 in the pod 2001, to stop thetransfer of the next wafer to be processed (that is, the first wafer inthe (m+1)^(th) lot into the substrate processing apparatus 100, and toset the inside of the process vessel 202 in the substrate processingapparatus 100 (in particular, the inside of the process chamber 201) toa state capable of performing the maintenance process (also referred toas a “maintenance enable state”).

The term “maintenance enable state” refers to a state that the operationof the substrate processing apparatus 100 is stopped, the process vessel202 of the substrate processing apparatus 100 can be opened to theatmosphere and the maintenance process such as the cleaning process canbe performed to the inside of the process vessel 202 (particularly, theinside of the process chamber 201).

As described above, according to the first control mode, there arises atime lag (time difference) sufficient to complete the substrateprocessing being processed. That is, the time difference between thereception of the maintenance reservation information for the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 and the substrate processing apparatus 100entering into the maintenance enable state. Therefore, it is possible toissue the maintenance reservation information by the host apparatus 500or the input/output device 261 at a desired timing. Even when themaintenance reservation information is issued at a desired timing, it ispossible to prevent, for example, the substrate processing from beinginterrupted (stopped) in the middle of processing of a certain lot. Inaddition, even when the maintenance reservation information is issued ata desired timing, the substrate processing apparatus 100 automaticallyenters into the maintenance enable state at a predetermined timingthereafter.

Therefore, according to the first control mode, it is possible toprevent the processing quality of the plurality of the wafers includingthe wafer 200 from varying within the same lot regardless of the timingof issuing the maintenance reservation information. In addition, forexample, it is possible to avoid adversely affecting the processingquality of the plurality of the wafers without delaying the execution ofthe maintenance process too much and losing the appropriate timing ofthe maintenance process. It is also possible to suppress the burden onthe personnel such as the maintenance operator and the systemadministrator, which is very convenient for them. That is, according tothe first control mode, it is possible to optimize the timing ofperforming the maintenance process by the substrate processing apparatus100. In the substrate processing system 2000 provided with the pluralityof the substrate processing apparatuses (that is, the substrateprocessing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d), it is possible toimprove the operation rate of the substrate processing system 2000 byoptimizing the timing of performing the maintenance process. That is, itis possible to improve the manufacturing throughput of the semiconductordevice in the substrate processing system 2000.

<Second Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a second control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the second control mode and thefirst control mode described above will be mainly described.

After the maintenance reservation information is received, according tothe first control mode, the substrate processing by the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 is continuously performed until the substrateprocessing of all of the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200is completed. However, according to the second control mode, the numberof wafers to be continuously processed in accordance with the substrateprocessing by the substrate processing apparatus 100 is determineddepending on the number of unprocessed wafers in the lot beingprocessed.

For example, assume that the plurality of the wafers (for example, 25wafers) including the wafer 200 stored in the pod 2001 is handled as onelot. Then, when the number of the unprocessed wafers in the lot is equalto or less than, for example, half of the number of the plurality ofwafers stored in the lot, the maintenance control part 260 g controlsthe substrate processing apparatus 100 to continuously perform thesubstrate processing until the substrate processing of all of theplurality of the wafers in the lot being processed is completed.However, when the number of the unprocessed wafers in the lot is greaterthan, for example, half of the number of the plurality of wafers storedin the lot, it is expected that it will take a long time to process theunprocessed wafers in the lot. Therefore, in that case the maintenancecontrol part 260 g controls the substrate processing apparatus 100 toenter into the maintenance enable state after the substrate processingof a predetermined number of wafers (for example, at least one waferbeing processed) is completed without waiting for the completion of thesubstrate processing of all of the plurality of wafers including thewafers 200 in the lot. In other words, for example, when 25 wafersincluding the wafer 200 stored in the pod 2001 is handled as one lot,the number of about 10 to 13, which is almost half of the number of thewafers in the pod 2001, is set as a threshold value for thedetermination criteria. Then, the number of wafers to be continuouslyprocessed in accordance with the substrate processing by the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 is changed (determined) depending on whether ornot the number of the unprocessed wafers is equal to or less than thethreshold value when the maintenance reservation information isreceived.

As described above, according to the second control mode, the number ofwafers to be continuously processed in accordance with the substrateprocessing by the substrate processing apparatus 100 may be changed(determined) according to the number of unprocessed wafers in the lotbeing processed when the maintenance reservation information isreceived. Therefore, for example, when the number of the unprocessedwafers is small, the substrate processing is continuously performeduntil the substrate processing of all of the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 is completed. As a result, it is possible toprevent the processing quality of the plurality of the wafers includingthe wafer 200 from varying within the same lot. On the other hand, forexample, when the number of the unprocessed wafers is large, it ispossible to quickly start the maintenance process by setting substrateprocessing apparatus 100 to the maintenance enable state without waitingfor the completion of the substrate processing of all of the pluralityof the wafers in the lot.

Therefore, according to the second control mode, it is possible toadjust the timing of performing the maintenance process flexiblyaccording to the number of the unprocessed wafers in the lot beingprocessed when the maintenance reservation information is received. As aresult, it is possible to better optimize the timing of performing themaintenance process by the substrate processing apparatus 100.

<Third Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a third control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the third control mode and thefirst control mode or the second control mode described above will bemainly described.

As described above, according to the first control mode or the secondcontrol mode, when the maintenance reservation information is received,the substrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenanceenable state at a predetermined timing after the substrate processing ofthe lot being processed is continuously performed. However, even afterthe maintenance reservation information is issued, it may be necessaryto advance or delay the timing of the maintenance process for somereason. In this regard, according to the third control mode, a change inthe maintenance timing within a predetermined range may be accepted(recognized), wherein the maintenance timing is a timing at which thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enablestate according to the maintenance reservation information.

For example, after the maintenance reservation information is received,the maintenance control part 260 g receives instruction information toadvance the maintenance process from the host apparatus 500 or theinput/output device 261 before the substrate processing apparatus 100enters into the maintenance enable state. That is, a change in thetiming of the maintenance process is received so as to advance thetiming of the maintenance process at which the substrate processingapparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enable state. Morespecifically, in order to advance the timing of shifting to themaintenance enable state, the maintenance control part 260 g controlsthe substrate processing apparatus 100 such that at least the substrateprocessing of a wafer being processed by the substrate processingapparatus 100 at the time when the instruction information is receivedis completed, and a wafer being transferred by the vacuum transfer robot2700 or the atmospheric transfer robot 2220 is stored again in the pod2001. When the wafer mentioned above is stored in the pod 2001, thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enablestate prior to the original timing (for example, prior to the timing atwhich the substrate processing of the lot being processed is completed).

For example, after the maintenance reservation information is received,the maintenance control part 260 g receives instruction information todelay the maintenance process from the host apparatus 500 or theinput/output device 261 before the substrate processing apparatus 100enters into the maintenance enable state. In this case, the maintenancetiming is delayed. More specifically, in order to delay the timing ofshifting to the maintenance enable state, the maintenance control part260 g controls the substrate processing apparatus 100 such that thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 does not enter into the maintenanceenable state at the original timing (for example, the timing at whichthe substrate processing of the lot being processed is completed), andthe substrate processing of a plurality of wafers stored in the next lotis performed by the substrate processing apparatus 100. Instead, thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enablestate after waiting for the substrate processing of all the wafers ofthe next lot (for example, (m+1)^(th) lot) to be completed.

As described above, according to the third control mode, the change ofthe maintenance timing within the predetermined range may be receivedeven after the maintenance reservation information is received.Therefore, when necessary for some reason, it is possible to advance ordelay the timing of the maintenance process even after the maintenancereservation information is issued and the maintenance process isreserved by the maintenance reservation information.

Therefore, according to the third control mode, it is possible to changethe timing of performing the maintenance process as necessary, which isvery convenient for the personnel such as the maintenance operator andthe system administrator. In addition, since the change of the timing ofthe maintenance process can be managed properly, it is possible tobetter optimize the timing of the maintenance process.

It is preferable that the change of the timing is accepted only withinthe predetermined range. The predetermined range may be set in advanceappropriately, for example, based on conditions of at least one amongthe number of the wafers processed by the substrate processing apparatus100 (that is, each of the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b,100 c and 100 d), the thickness of the accumulated film and theaccumulated process time of the substrate processing and combinationsthereof. When the change is limited within the predetermined range, itis possible to prevent the timing of the maintenance process from beingchanged unboundedly, and as a result, it is possible to suppress theadverse effects due to the change of the timing. That is, it ispreferable that the change of the timing is limited within such range asto cause no adverse effects.

<Fourth Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a fourth control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the fourth control mode and thefirst control mode through the third control mode described above willbe mainly described.

For example, there may be some cases where the maintenance processreserved by the maintenance reservation information becomes unnecessaryfor some reason even after the maintenance reservation information isissued. In this regard, according the fourth control mode, acancellation of the maintenance reservation information may be accepted(recognized) after the maintenance reservation information is received.

More specifically, after the maintenance reservation information isreceived, the maintenance control part 260 g receives instructioninformation to cancel the maintenance reservation information from thehost apparatus 500 or the input/output device 261 before the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enable state. Thatis, the cancellation of the maintenance reservation information isaccepted so as to cancel the maintenance reservation information. Then,the maintenance control part 260 g cancels the maintenance reservationinformation and controls the substrate processing apparatus 100 suchthat the substrate processing apparatus 100 does not enter into themaintenance enable state at the original timing (for example, the timingat which the substrate processing of the lot being processed iscompleted), and the substrate processing of a plurality of wafers storedin the next lot (for example, (m+1)^(th) lot) is performed by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100.

As described above, according to the fourth control mode, thecancellation of the maintenance reservation information may be acceptedeven after the maintenance reservation information is received.Therefore, it is possible to manage appropriately even when themaintenance process becomes unnecessary. Therefore, according to thefourth control mode, it is possible to cancel the maintenancereservation information as necessary, and it is also possible to operatethe system (that is, the substrate processing system 2000) flexibly andappropriately.

<Fifth Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a fifth control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the fifth control mode and thefirst control mode through the fourth control mode described above willbe mainly described.

According to the fifth control mode, when the maintenance reservationinformation is received, the time required for the substrate processingapparatus 100 to enter into the maintenance enable state by completingthe substrate processing of the substrate processing apparatus 100 isnotified.

Specifically, when the maintenance reservation information is received,the maintenance control part 260 g identifies the timing of thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 entering into the maintenance enablestate and calculates the required time for the substrate processingapparatus 100 to enter into the maintenance enable state. The requiredtime may be calculated using a well-known technique. When themaintenance control part 260 g calculates the required time, theinformation notification part 260 h notifies the input/output device 261or the host apparatus 500 of the calculation result of the requiredtime.

As described above, according to the fifth control mode, the requiredtime for the substrate processing apparatus 100 to enter into themaintenance enable state may be notified. As a result, the personnelsuch as the maintenance operator and the system administrator can easilyand accurately recognize when the maintenance process can be performed.Therefore, according to the fifth control mode, it is very convenientfor the personnel such as the maintenance operator and the systemadministrator. In addition, it is possible to better optimize the timingof performing the maintenance process by the substrate processingapparatus 100, and it is also possible to operate the system (that is,the substrate processing system 2000) appropriately.

<Sixth Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a sixth control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the sixth control mode and thefirst control mode through the fifth control mode described above willbe mainly described.

According to the third control mode, as described above, the change ofthe timing of the maintenance process is received after the maintenancereservation information is received. However, according to the sixthcontrol mode, when the maintenance reservation information is issued,the maintenance timing may be designated (set) as desired according tothe maintenance reservation information. To that end, the maintenancereservation information may include parameter information configured todesignate the timing at which the substrate processing apparatus 100enters into the maintenance enable state.

For example, when it is desired to immediately perform the maintenanceprocess, the maintenance control part 260 g receives the maintenancereservation information including the parameter information indicatingthat the maintenance process should be immediately performed. Then, themaintenance control part 260 g that has received the maintenancereservation information controls the substrate processing apparatus 100such that the substrate processing of the wafer being processed by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 is completed at the timing when theinformation is received and that the substrate processing apparatus 100enters into the maintenance enable state thereafter. In addition, whenit is desired to perform the maintenance process after the substrateprocessing of a plurality of lots is continued, the maintenance controlpart 260 g receives the maintenance reservation information includingthe parameter information indicating that the maintenance process shouldbe performed after the substrate processing of the plurality of the lotsis continued. Then, the maintenance control part 260 g that has receivedthe maintenance reservation information controls the substrateprocessing apparatus 100 such that the substrate processing apparatus100 continuously performs the substrate processing until the substrateprocessing of the plurality of the lots is completed, and that thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enablestate after the substrate processing of the plurality of the lots iscompleted.

As described above, according to the sixth control mode, it is possibleto designate the maintenance timing as desired in accordance with theparameter information included in the maintenance reservationinformation. Therefore, according to the sixth control mode, it ispossible to perform the maintenance process at a timing desired by thepersonnel such as the maintenance operator and the system administrator,which is very convenient for them. In addition, it is possible to betteroptimize the timing of performing the maintenance process by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100, and it is also possible to operatethe system (that is, the substrate processing system 2000)appropriately.

<Seventh Control Mode>

Hereinafter, a seventh control mode will be described. In the followingdescription, the differences between the seventh control mode and thefirst control mode through the sixth control mode described above willbe mainly described.

According to the first control mode through the sixth control modesdescribed above, it is assumed that the plurality of the wafersincluding the 200 in the same lot is continuously processed by the samesubstrate processing apparatus among the plurality of the substrateprocessing apparatuses (that is, one of the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d). According to the seventhcontrol mode, the substrate processing is performed using the pluralityof the substrate processing apparatuses (that is, two or more of thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d)connected to the TM 2400. That is, the substrate processing isdistributed to, for example, each of the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d.

For example, when the maintenance reservation information for a certainsubstrate processing apparatus among the plurality of the substrateprocessing apparatuses, for example, the maintenance reservationinformation for the substrate processing apparatus 100 a, is received,the maintenance control part 260 g controls the substrate processingapparatus 100 a such that the substrate processing being performed bythe substrate processing apparatus 100 a is continued. In addition, whenthere is an unprocessed wafer in the same lot as that of the wafer beingprocessed by the substrate processing apparatus 100 a, the maintenancecontrol part 260 g controls the components such as the vacuum transferrobot 2700 such that the unprocessed wafer is transferred to one of thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 b, 100 c and 100 d that has notreceived the maintenance reservation information. Then, the substrateprocessing of the unprocessed wafer is performed by the one of thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 b, 100 c and 100 d to which theunprocessed wafer is transferred. That is, it is possible to assign thesubstrate processing of the unprocessed wafer in the same lot as that ofthe wafer being processed by the substrate processing apparatus 100 a toanother of the substrate processing apparatuses 100 b, 100 c and 100 dthat has not received the maintenance reservation information. Referringto the substrate processing system 2000 shown in FIG. 1, for example,when the maintenance reservation information is received by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 a among the substrate processingapparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 c and 100 d, the maintenance control part260 g controls the substrate processing apparatuses 100 a, 100 b, 100 cand 100 d such that the substrate processing being performed by thesubstrate processing apparatuses 100 b, 100 c and 100 d is continued andthat the substrate processing apparatus 100 a is set to an offline stateafter the substrate processing of the wafer being processed by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 a is completed.

According to the seventh control mode, as described above, it ispossible to distribute the substrate processing of the unprocessedwafers to each of the plurality of the substrate processing apparatusesthat has not received maintenance reservation information. Therefore,according to the seventh control mode, it is possible to shorten thetime required from the reception of the maintenance reservationinformation to start of the maintenance process as compared with a casewhere the substrate processing is not distributed, and it is alsopossible to operate the system (that is, the substrate processing system2000) efficiently.

(8) Effects of the Embodiments

According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to provideat least one or more of the following effects.

(a) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, afterthe maintenance reservation information is received, the substrateprocessing by the substrate processing apparatus 100 related to themaintenance reservation information is continuously performed, and thesubstrate processing apparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enablestate after the substrate processing is completed. Therefore, when theplurality of the wafers including the 200 is handled as one lot, theprocessing quality of each of the plurality of the wafers including thewafer 200 is not adversely affected even if the maintenance reservationinformation is issued at a desired timing. It is also possible tosuppress the burden on the personnel such as the maintenance operatorand the system administrator, and it is also possible to optimize thetiming of performing the maintenance process by the substrate processingapparatus 100.

(b) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, whenthe plurality of the wafers including the 200 stored in the pod 2001 ishandled as one lot, the substrate processing apparatus 100 continuouslyperforms the substrate processing until the substrate processing of allof the plurality of the wafers stored in the pod 2001 is completed afterthe maintenance reservation information is received. Therefore, it ispossible to prevent the processing quality of the plurality of thewafers in the pod 2001 from varying within the same lot regardless ofthe timing of issuing the maintenance reservation information. It isadvantageous in that the embodiments may be applied when the pluralityof the wafers including the 200 is handled as one lot in unit of the pod2001.

(c) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, thenumber of wafers to be continuously processed in accordance with thesubstrate processing by the substrate processing apparatus 100 may bechanged according to the number of unprocessed wafers in the lot beingprocessed at the time when the maintenance reservation information isreceived. Therefore, it is possible to change the timing of performingthe maintenance process flexibly. As a result, it is possible to betteroptimize the timing of performing the maintenance process by thesubstrate processing apparatus 100.

(d) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, whenthe maintenance reservation information is received, a notification thatthe maintenance process is reserved is performed. Accordingly, thepersonnel such as the maintenance operator and the system administratorcan recognize that the maintenance process is reserved according to themaintenance reservation information. Therefore, it is very convenientfor the personnel such as the maintenance operator and the systemadministrator.

(e) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, evenafter the maintenance reservation information is received, it ispossible to accept a change of the maintenance timing within thepredetermined range. Therefore, it is possible to change the timing ofperforming the maintenance process as necessary, which is veryconvenient for the personnel such as the maintenance operator and thesystem administrator. In addition, since the change of the maintenancetiming can be managed properly, it is possible to better optimize thetiming of the maintenance process.

(f) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, evenafter the maintenance reservation information is received, thecancellation of the maintenance reservation information may be received.Therefore, it is possible to cancel the maintenance reservationinformation as necessary, and it is also possible to operate the systemflexibly and appropriately.

(g) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, afterthe maintenance reservation information is received, the time requiredfor the substrate processing apparatus 100 to enter into the maintenanceenable state by completing the substrate processing is notified.Therefore, it is very convenient for the personnel such as themaintenance operator and the system administrator. In addition, it ispossible to better optimize the timing of performing the maintenanceprocess, and it is also possible to operate the system appropriately.

(h) According to some control modes described in the embodiments, themaintenance reservation information may include the parameterinformation designating the timing at which the substrate processingapparatus 100 enters into the maintenance enable state. Therefore, it ispossible to perform the maintenance process at a timing desired by thepersonnel such as the maintenance operator and the system administrator,which is very convenient for them. In addition, it is possible to betteroptimize the timing of performing the maintenance process, and it isalso possible to operate the system appropriately.

Other Embodiments

While the technique is described by way of the above-describedembodiments, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. Theabove-described technique may be modified in various ways withoutdeparting from the gist thereof.

For example, while the embodiments are described by way of an example inwhich the film is formed by alternately supplying the first gas and thesecond gas, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. Theabove-described technique may also be applied to a substrate processingin which one kind of the gas is supplied to form the film.

For example, while the embodiments are described by way of an example inwhich the SiN film is formed on the surface of the wafer using thesilicon-containing gas as the source gas and the nitrogen-containing gasas the reactive gas, the above-described technique is not limitedthereto. The above-described technique may be applied to form otherfilms using different gases. For example, the above-described techniquemay also be applied to form an oxygen-containing film, anitrogen-containing film, a carbon-containing film, a boron-containingfilm and a metal-containing film and a film containing at least twoamong silicon (Si), oxygen (0), nitrogen (N), carbon (C), boron (B),aluminum (Al), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf) and titanium (Ti). That is,the above-described technique may also be applied to from a film such asan A10 film, a Zr0 film, a HfO film, a HfAlO film, a ZrAlO film, a SiCfilm, a SiCN film, a SiBN film, a TiN film, a TiC film and a TiAlC film.

For example, while the embodiments are described by way of an example inwhich a film-forming process is performed as the substrate processing,the above-described technique is not limited thereto. Theabove-described technique may be applied to other processes. Forexample, the above-described technique may also be applied to adiffusion process using plasma, an oxidation process, a nitridationprocess, an oxynitridation process, a reduction process, anoxidation-reduction process, an etching process and a heating process.The above-described technique may also be applied to a plasma oxidationprocess or a plasma nitridation process of a film formed on a substrateor a surface of the substrate using only the reactive gas. Theabove-described technique may also be applied to a plasma annealingprocess using only the reaction gas. After performing theabove-described processes as a first process, the above-describedsubstrate processing may be performed as a second process.

While the embodiments are described by way of an example in which asubstrate processing apparatus capable of processing one substrate inone process chamber is used, the above-described technique is notlimited thereto. The above-described technique may be applied to othersubstrate processing apparatuses such as a substrate processingapparatus capable of processing a plurality of substrates arrangedhorizontally or vertically.

While the embodiments are described by way of an example in which thesubstrate processing is performed as a part of the manufacturingprocesses of the semiconductor device, the above-described technique isnot limited thereto. The above-described technique may be applied toother manufacturing processes. For example, the above-describedtechniques may be applied to a manufacturing process of a liquid crystaldevice, a manufacturing process of a solar cell, a manufacturing processof a light emitting device, a manufacturing process of a glasssubstrate, a manufacturing process of a ceramic substrate and amanufacturing process of a conductive substrate.

As described above, according to some embodiments in the presentdisclosure, it is possible to optimize a timing of a maintenanceprocess.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor devicecomprising: (a) transferring a substrate from a storage containerstoring one or more substrates including the substrate to a processchamber, and performing a substrate processing; (b) receivingmaintenance reservation information of the process chamber; (c)continuously performing the substrate processing after the maintenancereservation information is received in (b) until the substrateprocessing in the process chamber related to the maintenance reservationinformation is completed, and setting the process chamber to amaintenance enable state after the substrate processing is completed bystopping the one or more substrates from being transferred into theprocess chamber; and (d) accepting a change in a maintenance timingwithin a predetermined range, wherein the maintenance timing is a timingwhen the process chamber enters into the maintenance enable stateaccording to the maintenance reservation information, wherein, in caseof accepting the change to delay the maintenance timing in (d), thesubstrate processing of a next substrate in the process chamber isstarted without setting the process chamber to the maintenance enablestate.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein, after the maintenancereservation information is received in (b), the substrate processing inthe process chamber is continuously performed until the substrateprocessing of all of the one or more substrates stored in the storagecontainer is completed.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein, after themaintenance reservation information is received in (b), number ofsubstrates to be continuously subject to the substrate processing in theprocess chamber is determined depending on number of unprocessedsubstrates stored in the storage container.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: (e) performing a notification that a maintenanceprocess is reserved after the maintenance reservation information isreceived in (b).
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: (e)performing a notification that a maintenance process is reserved afterthe maintenance reservation information is received in (b).
 6. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the notification is performed by displayingthe notification by a substrate processing apparatus comprising theprocess chamber.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the notification isperformed by transmitting data indicating the notification to a hostapparatus configured to manage the substrate processing in the processchamber.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (e) accepting acancellation of the maintenance reservation information.
 9. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: (e) notifying a time required for theprocess chamber to enter into the maintenance enable state by completingthe substrate processing in the process chamber after the maintenancereservation information is received in (b).
 10. The method of claim 1,wherein the maintenance reservation information comprises parameterinformation designating the maintenance timing.
 11. The method of claim2, wherein the maintenance reservation information comprises parameterinformation designating the maintenance timing.
 12. The method of claim3, wherein the maintenance reservation information comprises parameterinformation designating the maintenance timing.
 13. The method of claim4, wherein the maintenance reservation information comprises parameterinformation designating the maintenance timing.
 14. A substrateprocessing apparatus comprising: a process chamber where a substrate isprocessed; a transfer robot configured to transfer the substrate betweenthe process chamber and a storage container where a plurality ofsubstrates including the substrate are stored; a maintenance reservationinformation reception part configured to receive maintenance reservationinformation of the process chamber; and a maintenance controllerconfigured to: (i) accept a change in a maintenance timing within apredetermined range after the maintenance reservation information isreceived by the maintenance reservation information reception part,wherein the maintenance timing is a timing when the process chamberenters into a maintenance enable state according to the maintenancereservation information; (ii) in case of accepting the change to delaythe maintenance timing, control the substrate processing of a nextsubstrate to be started in the process chamber without setting theprocess chamber to the maintenance enable state; and (iii) control thesubstrate processing to be continued after the maintenance reservationinformation is received by the maintenance reservation informationreception part until the substrate processing in the process chamberrelated to the maintenance reservation information is completed, and setthe process chamber to the maintenance enable state after the substrateprocessing is completed by stopping the plurality of the substrates frombeing transferred into the process chamber.
 15. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 14, wherein the maintenance controller is furtherconfigured to control the substrate processing to be continued in theprocess chamber after the maintenance reservation information isreceived by the maintenance reservation information reception part untilthe substrate processing of all of the plurality of the substratesstored in the storage container is completed.
 16. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the maintenance controller isfurther configured to determine number of substrates to be continuouslysubject to the substrate processing in the process chamber depending onnumber of unprocessed substrates stored in the storage container afterthe maintenance reservation information is received by the maintenancereservation information reception part.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes, by acomputer, a substrate processing apparatus to perform: (a) transferringa substrate from a storage container storing a plurality of substratesincluding the substrate to a process chamber, and performing a substrateprocessing; (b) receiving maintenance reservation information of theprocess chamber; (c) continuously performing the substrate processingafter the maintenance reservation information is received in (b) untilthe substrate processing in the process chamber related to themaintenance reservation information is completed, and setting theprocess chamber to a maintenance enable state after the substrateprocessing is completed by stopping the plurality of the substrates frombeing transferred into the process chamber; and (d) accepting a changein a maintenance timing within a predetermined range, wherein themaintenance timing is a timing when the process chamber enters into themaintenance enable state according to the maintenance reservationinformation, wherein, in case of accepting the change to delay themaintenance timing in (d), the substrate processing of a next substratein the process chamber is started without setting the process chamber tothe maintenance enable state.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium of claim 17, wherein, after the maintenance reservationinformation is received in (b), the substrate processing in the processchamber is continuously performed until the substrate processing of allof the plurality of the substrates stored in the storage container iscompleted.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium ofclaim 17, wherein, after the maintenance reservation information isreceived in (b), number of substrates to be continuously subject to thesubstrate processing in the process chamber is determined depending onnumber of unprocessed substrates stored in the storage container.